Houston to Host Specialty Chemical Exchange Conference

PRINCETON, New Jersey, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Informex, the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications, today announced that Informex will once again host the Specialty Chemical Exchange Conference (SCEC) in Houston, Texas in 2011. The one day event, focused on 'profiting from renewed domestic investment,' will take place on Thursday, May 19, at the George R. Brown Convention Center and will feature a conference with table top exhibits. The conference was scheduled after the successful inaugural session of SCEC in 2010, which hosted 152 registrants and 12 table top sponsors.

The morning keynote session, Economic Drivers for the Chemical Industry & the New, Emerging Bio-Based Industry, will be presented by Lee Mikles, the CEO of FutureFuel and will lead into a full day of interactive informational panels and sessions, following:

    
    - 'Purchasing Perspectives on the Specialty Chemical Industry' moderated
      by Stephen Burns, Head of News and Analysis, ICIS
    - 'Strategic Issues in Supply Chain Management' presented by Masao Nishi,
      Vice President, Supply Chain Management, Sysco
    - 'Texas Economy - A Key Driver for the US Chemical Industry' presented
      by the Office of the Governor of Texas: Economic Development
    - 'Advances in chemical engineering: finding a commercial path to
      marketplace' presented by David A Rosenthal, PE. Reliability and Asset
      Management Manager Jacobs Engineering, 2012 AIChE President

At the close of the conference, a hosted evening networking reception will offer added opportunities for delegates to connect with potential customers and clients.

"We wanted to keep the SCEC in Houston because it is a key production center for derivatives and specialty chemicals. Additionally, Houston is home to nearly 40 percent of the nation's capacity for producing chemicals used in downstream chemical operations(1)," noted Jennifer Jessup, Global Brand Director for Informex. She added, "The Houston-Baytown-Huntsville area alone houses 405 chemical plants employing roughly 36,000 people. With market density like this, Houston provides a quality gathering spot for SCEC attendees who are looking to both learn and make business connections."

In addition to headline sponsor, FutureFuel, other confirmed sponsors include Airgas, American Elements, Austin Chemical Company, Bayer Technology Services, CHEM Group, Chemical & Engineering News, GIG Karasek, InCon Processing, Intertek, KMCO, MFG Chemical, and Seatex.

Early-bird registration will close on April 15, 2011. For more information about the Specialty Chemical Exchange Conference in Houston, please visit us online at: http://specialty-houston.informex.com/

For more information on Informex, please visit: http://www.informex.com.

UBM Live is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Business Media plc (LSE: UBM) a leading provider of business information services to the maritime, travel, fashion, technology, healthcare, media, and property industries. UBM offers services in trade shows, online, news distribution, and publishing to customers across the globe. Its brands are represented in more than 30 countries and are organized into specialist teams that serve their business communities helping them excel in their market by working effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to http://www.ubmlive.com.

About Informex: Organized by UBM Live, Informex is the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications. As the premier, must-attend event in the chemical industry for the past 27 years, Informex is a marketplace for networking and doing business in the fine, custom and specialty chemical manufacturing industry. The show traces its origins to a group of members from the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Associates (SOCMA) who were looking for an annual place to meet and do business. Each year the event brings together an international mix of more than 4,000 fine and specialty chemicals professionals and 500 exhibitors for the all-encompassing 4 day event.

(1) http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Houston-Economy.html